Election Day
by Kronoskingofthemonkeypeople
Summary: Olivia agreed to rig the vote, but how will she face Fitz as the country goes to the polls - acting in a game they have already played and won?
1. Chapter I

**Election Day – Chapter I**

Tuesday, November 4th

3:06am

The hotel room was cold.

Olivia ran a hand down her arm, shivering under the thin fabric of her white sweater as she sat at the end of the bed.

She had told everyone she was going off to get a few hours sleep before the polls opened on the east coast, but there would be no sleep for her tonight.

The storm that had raged within her, the overwhelming swell of confusion and conflict that had threatened to drown her had now finally crashed, leaving her alone in its silent wake, utterly spent.

And so she sat, alone and in the dark.

There was no more conjecture, there was no more contention: there was just this.

A sharp beep brought her from her thoughts as a burst of blue light shone from her blackberry, illuminating the room with a pale glow.

Letting out a tired sigh, she glanced at her cell as it lay beside her, then pushed herself up from the bed and padded to the bathroom. Switching on the light with a flicker, she stared into the face that looked back at her from the mirror.

The face of a thief.

The face of a woman in love.

She shut her eyes.

This was it. This is was her now. There was nothing left to do but deal with it.

Taking in a slow breath, she quickly opened her eyes, grabbed her lipstick and masked her dull lips with its smooth colour. Pulling back from the mirror, she took one final look at herself, brushed her fringe into position, and turned away.

It was time to elect a President.

* * *

3:34am

"It's raining in Florida!" An intern called out from the phone.

"When will it stop?" Olivia strode towards him through the temporary election base.

"What?" The young man looked confused.

"The rain. When will it _not_ be raining?"

"Ah…" The intern darted his eyes down from hers and brought the phone back to his mouth. "Do you know when it will stop?" He muttered into the phone, lightly tapping the desk as he listened to the answer, then looked back up. "He ah, says it will clear up in the afternoon…"

"Good." Olivia gave a satisfied smile. "Democrats vote early. But I still want teams on the ground with umbrellas in case there's any over enthusiastic Republicans – got it?"

The young man nodded his head obediently as Liv turned away to a waiting intern.

The hotel conference room was buzzing with a nervous energy. She watched as the exhausted staff hurried around the large office, devouring statistics and making calls; empty gestures they clung to in order to have some semblance of control. One year of campaigning and it was now all out of their hands. One year of campaigning and now all they had to do was wait.

Liv swallowed down a shaky breath and looked back at the intern, who held out two colored markers in her hand. Forcing a smile, Liv picked up the markers and walked over to the large dry erase board that loomed over the campaign room, its bare outline of the United States lying in wait. Quickly, she brought up the blue pen and wrote 'RESTON' in clear letters on the left side of the board, then moved on to the red pen.

Her fingers started to tremble slightly as she brought the marker up to the right side. Gripping the pen tighter, she pressed it down to the white board to write 'GRANT'.

As she dropped the markers on the bottom tray, she was about to turn away when a familiar gruff voice appeared from beside her.

"It's raining in Florida." Cyrus Beene grumbled, hugging a giant coffee cup.

"So I've heard." Liv faced him with a weak smile.

"No chance our army of AARP members will forget their hatred of dampness and come out to do their patriotic duty, is there?" He sipped on his coffee with a grimace.

"Meterologist says it will clear in the afternoon." She replied simply.

"Good." Cyrus nodded, yet his expression remained unchanged. "At least they can use their Bingo punching skills in the booth."

Olivia gave a small smile of acknowledgment but looked back at the board as Cyrus darted his eyes warily around the room then stepped closer to her.

"Hollis called…" He murmured carefully in her ear.

"Can we not talk about him?" Liv snapped back to him. "Please?" She tried again in a more composed tone. "Just… not today, ok? Can we not talk about him today?"

Cyrus furrowed his brow as he studied her carefully, then gave a small simple nod. "Ok." He said quietly.

"Thank you." She replied shortly when she glimpsed a group of staffers congregating by the door, with a distinctive lock of brown curls emerging out from the crowd.

A flush of nerves ran though Olivia as she quickly turned to Cyrus. "What's the Governor doing here?"

"Rallying the troops." He looked at her, puzzled. "What do you think?"

Liv shifted her body to block her view, leaving the crowd behind her. "I thought he was going to spend the day watching the results with his family on the ranch."

"And so did Mellie." He shrugged. "But you know our boy, he'd snatch at any chance to be sentimental quicker than a drunk grandmother."

Olivia glared at Cyrus, who raised his hands in concession. The sound of chatter rose from behind her then broke out into clapping as she slowly turned back around to see the crowd of staffers spread out, revealing the tall figure of Fitzgerald Grant, shirt rolled casually up his arms, hands in pockets, smiling humbly at his reception.

His pale blue eyes looked around the room when they finally fell on Liv's, causing a shiver to run up her spine. No matter how many times he had looked at her, it still shocked her how his eyes seemed to pierce her. How they seemed to look straight through her, effortlessly. A stab of guilt hit her stomach.

Fitz raised his hand to quieten the gathering as the clapping faded down and the staff began to settle onto chairs and tables.

"Thanks everyone." He gave a charming smile as his deep voice rang out. "Listen, I'm going to keep this short because I'm sure you're all sick of by voice by now." A scattering of laughter went through the room as he paused for a moment. "It was less than a year ago I was considered a political lightweight. I was struggling with the polls, struggling to get my message out there – no one thought I had it in me. And yet here we stand, on election day. On a day that pollsters have predicted will be one of the _closest _in history. So a heads up - if you're looking forward to some much needed sleep, don't expect to get it anytime soon." The tired staff laughed wryly.

"Less than a year ago I was considered to be a political lightweight – but you guys stuck with me. You believed in me, you _pushed _me, and you made me better. _You_ are the reason I am standing here today."

His flicked to Liv's as her heart began to race faster.

"_You_ are the reason. And I can't repay you for that. There is nothing I can do to fully make up for your hard work and your sacrifice, except to promise you - and this is a _real_ promise – to promise you that I will do my best, from the bottom of my heart, to live up to your belief in me and to make _real _changes. To be the President you deserve. To be the President _America _deserves."

"In about ten minutes, the polls are going to open on the east coast, leaving our fate in the hands of the people. Whatever they decide, win or loose, I want you to know how grateful I am for everything that you've done for this campaign. I want to thank you because without you all we would never have gotten this far. Because without you all –" His gaze turned back to Liv, fixing his blue eyes on hers. "Without you I am nothing."

The staff broke out in cheer. Olivia's breath stopped in her throat.

She quickly tore herself from his sight and turned around, feigning a smile as the room gradually filled back up with its anticipatory activity. Picking up a tome of polling data, she flicked through the pages while snaking through the maze of people, trying to keep away from Fitz, who she could sense was still watching her from the doorway.

He wasn't supposed to be here today. He was supposed to be at the ranch. But there he was. There he was making her stomach flutter when he looked at her, her fingertips tingle when he talked. There he was, and he was making things… complicated.

Olivia let out a sigh as she reached the coffee cart and put down the poll data, giving a small shake of her head to clear her thoughts as she reached over to pick up a tea bag when suddenly an all too familiar feeling ran through her.

"Morning." A baritone voice appeared behind her, soothing her nerves.

Slowly, she turned around to meet Fitz' gaze, her lip uncontrollably moving into a small smile as he beamed down at her.

"Morning." She replied softly.

"So…" He began awkwardly, a nervousness suddenly rising on his face. "Big day."

Liv sighed as she watched him, wanting so much to reach out and hold his hand, to cup his cheek, but she couldn't. She had to stay away. So instead, she smiled, hoping she could convey with a look all she couldn't do in reality.

"Big day." She echoed reassuringly.

His face brightened up again as he silently breathed her in. "Cyrus tells me it's raining in Florida." He spoke out after a moment.

"Ah." Olivia rolled her eyes slightly.

"I reminded him that Democrats vote in the morning, so if it dries up in the afternoon we've got nothing to worry about."

She couldn't help but smile inwardly as she gazed up into his cloudy eyes.

"Exactly."

A mischievous glean suddenly took Fitz' eye. "Are _you_ a morning voter?"

"As apposed to what?" Liv simply raised a cool eyebrow.

"Afternoon, evening…" He shrugged playfully. "… _late night_." His voice dropped lower as a sly grin tugged at his lips.

She tried to stifle down a smile as she quickly glanced around the busy room then back at him. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just trying to uncover who you'll be voting for today." Fitz answered with a subtle smirk.

A small pang of pain shot up from her gut that she quickly tried to shake. "Who says I'll be voting at all?" She countered.

"I do."

"Do you?"

"Hmhmm…" Fitz nodded as his low hum sent a shiver up her spine. "_I know you_."

"I don't know though," She tried to brush off the guilt in the back of her throat with a sigh. "I'm not really impressed with the field this year…"

"Oh, I think I may have earned your vote." Fitz moved slightly closer to her.

"Really?"

"Well there's my support for the Equal Pay for Women act, and for other women's rights… if you want we could discuss this further in private?" He smirked.

"I'd like that." Liv found herself agreeing softly, carried away by his warm smile.

Suddenly a loud thump echoed through the room, snapping them back to reality as Cyrus dropped a large file on a table to get everyone's attention, then stood up on a chair, above the fray.

"Ladies and gentlemen," His weary voice called out. "We are finally reaching the finish line." With an awkward jolt he brought his arm up to his face and read his watch. "The east coast polls officially open in 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2…1."

A audible intake of breath flowed through the room as Olivia stood alone, her hands clenched at he sides.

This was it.

* * *

**NB:**

**Greetings! I am Kronos, King of the Monkey People, and this is my first ever Scandal fanfic, so here's hoping I can get these characters right. **

**But yes, I tried to stay away from writing fanfic but when you're going through this tough a hiatus you gonna need everything you can to get though. So here's my drug of choice!**

**But yeah, if you haven't guessed this is sort of a continuation of that Good-god-their-flirting-is-off-the-scale tie scene in The Trail, so we'll see how that turns out. **

**I originally intended for this to be a one-shot but then it just seemed to go on it's own tangent so I just let it run free. Free like a naked cowboy. So methinks it'll be a two-shot. If you want it to be. Cause that's where you come in. I am a slower writer than a stoned sloth, so if you're interested or tickled or just morbidly fascinated in seeing another chapter, please review! Any feedback will get my dormant mind kicked into gear, so thanks!**

**Now to carry on plodding through this hiatus! *****smacks head repeatedly against a wall***


	2. Chapter II

**Election Day – Chapter II**

9:26 am

"…_and Governor Grant has officially cast his vote in Santa Barbara today._ _The Presidential hopeful, along with his wife Mellie, visited a polling station at their local church this morning, saying they were expecting a long day…"_

Olivia's gaze unwillingly strayed from her blackberry to the television set, propped up on a desk in the busy election office, as the news played unnoticed to a distracted audience.

She watched as it rolled footage of Fitz mingling with other voters in the line, crouching down to a little boy to shake his hand, placing an 'I voted' sticker on his own lapel, and giving Mellie's hand a squeeze as they walked out of the church, hand in hand.

Liv quickly looked away.

"Miss Pope?" A tired looking assistant suddenly appeared beside her.

"Yes?" Olivia looked around with a smile, attempting to shake off the images from the newsreel.

"Cyrus sent me to get you for the press interviews." The assistant explained.

A lump suddenly formed in her throat. "_Press interviews?_"

"Yeah." He nodded. "He wanted me to tell you to get prepped."

"Where is Cyrus?"

"He ah, set up an office down in his hotel room." He gestured behind him.

"Thanks." Olivia replied shortly as she moved past him and out of the room.

* * *

"_Press interviews?_" Olivia questioned in disbelief, trying to keep her voice down as she carefully closed to the door to Cyrus's makeshift office.

Cyrus looked up from the phone as he sat on his small lounge amongst a mess of papers and polling data, strewn across the coffee table.

"What?" He dropped the phone from the crook of his neck and hung up, as Liv remained standing at the door.

"Since when am I giving press interviews?" She asked, arms folded.

"Since we decided to run a Presidential campaign." Cyrus countered dryly.

"So why don't they interview the actual _Campaign Manager_?" Liv gestured to him as shifted uncomfortably in her stance.

"Because I'm the fat old puppeteer behind the curtain." He huffed. "Emerald City is better off not knowing I exist. _You_ on the other hand, are young, beautiful, smart, and whole other shade of demographic. Nothing says 'Improved and Inclusive Republicans' like stamping you on the front page."

"You'll lose the base." She remained firm.

"Billy'll get the base. That's why we have the Fanatical Flying Nun as our running mate in the first place. Which _you know _because you help make that decision, so I don't know what your problem is!"

She stared at him in silence for moment, crossing her arms tight.

"You know." She said sternly.

"Yes, I do." Cyrus sighed and ran a rough hand through his hair. "But we need to do this. If our little Statistics Savant is correct then we have to play this out just like we always planned. We can't afford to lose any ground. So, you need to go out there and have your little one-on-ones with _Good Morning Aurora_ or wherever and sell our boy like the second coming, or this whole thing will be for nothing!"

He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in as he focused on Olivia.

"We're all in." He said, lowering his voice. "Remember?"

She bowed her head slightly, letting out a breath as she loosened her arms.

"We're all in." She echoed sadly, her heart heavy in her chest.

* * *

"That ad campaign painting Governor Reston as soft on crime has sure been making headway in the swing states." The high pitched voice of the news anchor rang through the small plastic earpiece as Liv stared straight into the camera, pretending she could see the presenter as the crew's lights shone sharply into her eyes.

"I think that must be because it resonates with so many voters." Olivia feigned sincerity, repeating from the now memorised script. "America needs a leader who will be tough on crime, and the facts are there for everyone to see that Governor Reston is not that man."

"Well, it's making it a very tight race here in North Carolina. And in Ohio too, I hear."

A stab of pain hit her in the stomach as she strained a friendly smile. "It's going to be a tight race all over, Justine. We just hope everyone gets out there and makes their voice heard."

"Every vote counts, right?"

"Exactly." The words felt like ash as she forced them through her smiling mouth. "And now more than ever."

The anchor rattled off some pleasantries and farewells, and Liv once again went through the motions, trying to ignore the rise in her heart rate as she ran on auto-drive until the small red light atop the camera went black, finally releasing her.

"That's the last one?" She asked out to the silence, still rooted to her chair.

"That's it for now, thanks." A voice from behind the camera responded.

Olivia ripped out her earpiece and hurried from the makeshift set as calmly as she could but she needed to get away. She needed to get away from everything.

Her breath became shaky as she headed down the hotel hallway, unaware of where she was walking. This wasn't her. She wasn't this person. She believed in democracy, in the voice of the people, _in 'we the people'_. How did she suddenly turn into that mouthpiece of politics, regurgitating the same pre-packaged lies in interview after interview; the chirpy, disembodied voices changing from one show to another, but all tormenting her as they held up her decisions to her face.

_How did she get here?_

Suddenly, she bumped into someone emerging from a room. A pair of wide hands quickly moved to her small waist with a firm grasp, holding her steady.

Her eyes shot up to meet Fitz's, gazing down at her in surprise, as the lack of space between them became charged with a now all too familiar feeling.

Liv quickly stepped back, remembering where she was, as Fitz followed, tucking his hands into his pockets safely.

"Olivia." Fitz greeted with a hidden smile.

"Governor." Liv replied shortly as she cursed her luck, her eyes catching Mellie in the room behind him, talking with some campaign staff.

She tried to avoid Fitz's gaze as he surreptiously looked her up and down. "I um… I was just about to rework my draft speech." He tried casually. "Any chance you could take a look?"

"I…" She stopped short. She couldn't deal with him right now. She just needed some space and some time to get her head clear and her thoughts straight, but when she saw the small, hopeful smile playing on his lips, she couldn't help but relent.

"Sure." She sighed, then with a quick look back at Mellie she turned around and walked back down the hallway, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end as she heard the steady footsteps of Fitz following closely behind.

As she reached the room at the end of the hallway she braced herself, then opened the door and stepped in.

She heard the door close behind her as two hands slipped underneath her jacket and effortlessly guided her around to Fitz's chest as he held her against him. He lowered his head and closed his eyes for a moment as he lightly rested his forehead on hers, his deep breathes slowed down, vibrating through her.

Liv held her hands firmly by her side, trying to stifle their instinct to wrap themselves around his wide back. Her mind swirled with a storm of tormenting emotions as she felt herself slowly, reluctantly, falling back into him.

Fitz slowly opened eyes again and moved his head back slightly so he could take her in.

"Hi." His deep voice hummed languidly.

"…Morning." Liv replied bluntly, the other greeting stopping in her throat.

Fitz's brow flickered in confusion then quickly rose up in exaggerated exhaustion. "God…" He sighed. "It's still morning?"

"For just a little longer..." She nodded, trying to avoid his gaze.

He watched her curiously for a moment, worry tugging at the edge of his mouth, when he took a quick sigh and put on a warm smile. "I'll tell you one thing," He started. "I will never get used to voting for my own ticket. Also, the fact that I have to perform that act of self-gratification in a small, curtained off area _really_ doesn't help with the awkwardness."

Liv gave a small smile but remained silent, as Fitz's brow furrowed, studying her reaction.

"You ok?" He asked softly, running his thumb gently up and down her back as his hands remained enveloped around her.

"I'm fine." She said shortly.

"Because you seem..."

"I'm fine."

"Liv..." His voice turned serious as her eyes flicked back and forth, avoiding his own until she took a quick breath and looked straight at him with her professional veneer.

"Was there something you needed?" She asked formally, struggling to force down the emotion in the back of her throat.

"No." He replied, confused.

"Ok then." Liv forced herself to step away, a cold chill running through her as Fitz's hands fell away from her waist.

"I just wanted to…" Fitz started, his eyes lost as he took a small step towards her then stopped. "Are we ok?"

Liv felt her chest tie up into a painful knot. "Of course we are." She replied weakly.

He took another careful step closer. "It's just that you – "

"It's a long day." She interrupted with a flat excuse. "It _will be_ a long day. We're fine. We are. I just…" She needed to get out of there. She needed to get away from his touches, his looks, his intoxicating presence. She could see the look of innocence in his worried eyes and it killed her. She couldn't do this anymore.

"I just… I have to go." She forced a reluctant smile as Fitz's mouth opened to protest. "I've got these interviews to do so I should go." She manouvered herself around him to step closer to the door. "But I'll see you later."

"Livvie…" Fitz sighed.

"I'm sorry." Liv tried to shake him off as she grasped onto the door handle. "I need to go."

She quickly opened the door and walked out, leaving Fitz alone in her wake.

Her heart fell as she stepped further down the hallway. He had needed her. He needed her to be there with him on the most important day of his life and she just left him.

She failed him.

She did it all for him, but she still failed him.

* * *

**NB:**

**So…. That was a fun chapter! Ok, not gonna lie – it's all a bit angsty right now, but just trust that it's going to end up somewhere bright and fluffy, cause that's the plan! …I mean, I don't have a map yet but I've got a general sense of direction. Maybe. Sorta.**

**Ok, so in order for the last chapter not to end up in a ditch in Timbuktu somewhere, please drop a line and review! When I say reviews are the delicious double shot coffee to my muddled up flan of a brain I honestly mean it, so thanks for your support! And thanks for reading! And thanks for being awesome! Which, come on, if you're a Gladiator, that sort of goes without saying. **


	3. Chapter III

**Election Day – Chapter III**

4:24 pm

Olivia headed slowly towards the main campaign office. They were about to announce the closing of the polls in Ohio and she needed to be there with everyone to play her part in this charade.

The day had gone achingly slow. Luckily for her, Mellie seemed to remain three feet beside Fitz the entire time, giving Liv an excuse to avoid him. She tried to busy herself with volunteer management and polling data, but by now all the numbers just merged into meaninglessness. Instead her eyes drew back to her watch, pleading for time to pass, pleading for this day to end.

"Liv!" A sickeningly sweet voice greeted her as she stepped into the bustling office. Mellie had turned from Cyrus and Fitz, who stood silently by the wall, hands in pockets, shoulders shrugged. His eyes flicked up to hers as she walked in but she quickly looked away to his smiling wife. "BNC just announced they're going to call the winner for Virginia soon."

"One down, six more to go." Cyrus added, giving Liv a knowing look.

Olivia simply nodded politely, trying to figure out away she could unsuspiciously escape the trio, until Mellie put a friendly hand on her arm.

"And if you've got a moment later, it would be great if you could look through some of my wardrobe choices for tonight." She beamed as Cyrus' eyes flicked anxiously from her to Fitz.

"Of course." Liv put on a smile then looked back at Fitz to study his reaction, however he seemed to be completely uninterested in his wife's trifles, instead remaining hunched by the wall, now staring at a small group of staff on the other side of the room.

"I was thinking of something professional, but elegant." Mellie continued unabated. "Maybe blue – "

"The pollsters are quiet." Fitz' deep voice suddenly interrupted, his gaze focused on the huddled group in the corner as they stood in anxious silence.

"They're mathematicians, honey." Mellie rolled her eyes dismissively. "They're always quiet."

"They're avoiding me." He countered, turning to her with a dark look.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Mellie huffed, as Liv felt her body tense up. "You're just getting nervous about nothing."

"We still don't know if we made enough headway in Ohio." Fitz continued sternly. "We're on a knife edge in all six of the swing states and yet not one of my pollsters has said a single word to me all day. _Something_ is wrong."

Liv watched as a sudden flash of fear ran through Cyrus' face but then was quickly covered by a confident smile.

"They're pollsters on election day!" He exclaimed. "Of course they're quiet! They're the strange cabal trying to summon up Helios when all you have to do is open up the blinds to see that the sun is already shining!" He raised up hands dramatically, then paused for a moment as calmed his manner. "Today's the day the American people do their job for them, Governor. They're quiet because they have nothing to say. Trust me," He looked Fitz square in the eye. "If there was something wrong, I'd be onto it quicker than Shylock to a pound of flesh. They don't call me a pit-bull for my good looks."

Fitz gave a small, wry smile, causing Cyrus to let out an undetectable sigh of relief.

"So we wait until the results come out?" Fitz looked at Cyrus, his eyes filled with trust.

"We wait until the results come out." Cyrus reassured, watching carefully as the confidence rose back on to his boss's face.

"See!" Mellie's sharp voice broke in. "I told you you were being ridiculo-"

"Which reminds me!" Cyrus quickly interrupted with a flick of wrist to check his watch. "Ohio's about to close." He gave Mellie a pointed look as he waved out his hand to direct her away. "Shall we?"

"Of course." She replied through the gritted teeth of her forced smile, then reluctantly turned with Cyrus and slowly headed towards the bank of televisions on the other side of the room, joining the motley group of nervous staffers that had begun to put down their phones and congregate around the bright screens.

Olivia remained by the door. Caught between the instinct to run away and the desire to stay, she turned her side to Fitz and tried to focus her attention on the news as the room began to fill up with the tinny voice of the anchorwoman.

"…_and it's looking like the election is going to come down to this specific collection states…"_

Liv felt rooted to the spot, the unnatural sense of awkwardness between them making her uneasy, as the memory of the look in his eyes haunted her thoughts. The look of pain as she walked away from him once again.

"…_the exit polls in Virginia have been looking positive for the Grant campaign, but right now, all eyes are on Ohio, where the polls are now officially closed…"_

All of a sudden, a light finger softly brushed against hers, causing a shiver of electricity to run up her arm. Her breath held in her throat as she felt Fitz's fingers slowly ease between hers, craving their connection, needing their comfort. A shadow fell over her as he silently stepped up beside her. Her gaze became drawn away from the distracted staffers to the solemn profile of Fitz, his brow low and his eyes fixed on the far screens as they decided his fate. Yet beneath his stern face she could see the vulnerability he tried to hide, his strong façade cracking just for her. She quickly turned back to the televisions as its bright graphics announced the verdict of Virginia, when she enclosed his large hand within hers, and gave a gentle squeeze.

She felt him tense up beside her, but then after a moment, his long fingers tucked themselves around hers, and held them tight.

* * *

06:14 pm

Olivia paced in circles down the empty hallway of the hotel.

She could still feel the press of Fitz' hand against hers as the news called Virginia for him, when their connection was quickly torn apart as the staff erupted with cheers. One by one, the results trickled in, falling in to their planned place in the puzzle. But as Ohio was projected as being too close to call, the room froze once more with a worried tension and Fitz slunk back to the wall, hands in pockets, waiting in silence as his future hung on a knife edge.

Liv gave her hand a short shake as she turned again and paced down the hall, sound of her heeled steps muted by the worn carpet.

Her mind filled with the voices of the interviewers, of the coaxing words of Cyrus, tormenting her with the reminder of what she did, of how she changed, of how she went against her _own_ principles. The principles she thought she had held to the highest degree and yet…

The flash of sombre blue eyes ran through her mind.

_Him_. Always_ him_.

She shook her head and turned the corner of the hallway, walking fast, trying to escape her thoughts, when all of a sudden she came across one of the young speech writers, sitting alone on the floor, hunched over a lecture pad.

"What are you doing here?" Liv asked in surprise.

He looked up in shock, pulling the pad close to his chest. "I…um… nothing?"

She looked at him suspiciously as he put on a nervous smile. "Where are the others?"

"Back at headquarters… I just wanted some space."

"With your notepad?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I like notepads." He answered weakly.

"Dan," She lowered her voice as she took a step closer to him. "What are you doing here?"

He looked at her then shot his eyes up and down the hallway. "I'm not… he told me not to tell you."

"Who?"

Dan opened his mouth, then closed it, before letting out a reluctant whisper. "The Governor."

An unexpected pang of hurt hit Olivia. "What didn't he want you to tell me?"

"He didn't want me to tell you!"

Olivia simply folded her arms, putting on the well-practiced stance as she stared down the young writer until Dan wilted under her look, shifting in his spot on the floor before finally relenting with a sigh.

"Alight, he… He told me to write a draft concession speech." He confessed quietly as he lowered his lecture pad from his chest. "He told me to write a draft so he could edit it in case… well, you know."

The air escaped Olivia's lungs. It was customary for all campaigns to have an emergency concession speech, if only to not tempt fate, but for Fitz to do this behind everyone's back, behind her back…

"Where is he?" She heard herself asking in a weak voice.

"Around the corner." He answered quietly. "In the suite."

Without another word, she quickly walked past Dan and around the corner, where at the end of the bright hallway, a large door was left open, revealing a dark room. Olivia slowed down her steps and crept silently towards the door, halting by the opening as she peered furtively into the shadows.

There, by a small desk near the large window, was Fitz, his solemn profile lit up by a small pool of warm light from the desk lamp. His hand clutched at a pen as he flicked through the pages of policy files, scribbling quick notes as his brow was furrowed in deep thought.

Within the final storm of the campaign, within the all-consuming battle to _win_, there was Fitzgerald Grant, quietly finding peace in policy, in his insatiable desire to make a difference. At that moment, he would have believed there was a high chance that he would loose the election and have his father proven right – and yet there he was, still refining his plans, still figuring out ways he could truly _help_ people, no matter what his future.

An overwhelming swell of love unexpectedly rushed up inside Olivia. Everything she had done, every sin she had committed, suddenly didn't matter. Nothing mattered, because in her heart, in this moment – she _knew_.

She felt heavy weight falling from her shoulders as her hand slipped into her jacket pocket, her fingers finding the small thin piece of plastic she had hidden there hours earlier, and held onto it like a talisman as she silently watched his pensive face.

This man would make a great President.

This man _deserved_ to be President.

* * *

09:46 pm

"It's celebration!"

"It's masturbation."

Mellie lowered an unimpressed brow as Cyrus neared the end of his rope. Olivia stood between them in the corner of the campaign headquarters, half listening as the two argued over her in strained hushed voices. The large room now reverberated with an eerie silence as it slowly filled with nervous staff, the quiet rumour spreading that the election would soon be called.

"Don't be crude, Cyrus." Mellie chided coldly. "I'm not asking for busty cheerleaders twirling fireworks, I'm just saying that it could add some extra significance."

"Playing _Hail to the Chief_ at Presidential Election acceptance speech adds as much significance as Bedazzling the Constitution." Cyrus huffed in frustration when out of the corner of Liv's eye, she saw Fitz enter the room, the solemn face he wore last now replaced with a small calm smile as he moved through the room, thanking his exhausted staffers with a supportive hand.

"It's _bombastic_," Cyrus stepped in closer to Mellie, continuing his objections. "It's _arrogant_, _self-aggrandizing_, _tacky_, _antiquated_ – and basically _everything_ the lentil loving Liberals think we Republicans represent. _Which_, in turn, kind of screws up our angle of being the candidate who transcends the political status-quo, don't you think?"

Olivia's eyes followed Fitz as he gradually made his way towards them while he met every staffer with a genuine smile and a look of true gratitude. She watched as one volunteers gave him an ardent salute, crisp and strong, for which he returned in form, then gave her a warm pat on her arm.

"_I _think people have listened to the same generic 70's rock songs at our rallies for a year, so it might be nice to change it up tonight, of all nights, for something a little more meaningful." Mellie refused to back down.

"_I think_ you're starting to measure out the curtains before you even have a _house_." Cyrus countered sharply then moved in closer to her. "Remember, he is not 'The Chief' _yet_." He gave Mellie a pointed look with that last word, attempting to rein her in.

"Yes, thank you for the reminder Cyrus, I was just about to nuke Iran." She replied with cold sarcasm. "But someone here needs to think about how we present ourselves to the world."

"Of course!" He finally broke out. "Because the 40 plus campaign staffers in this hotel room alone aren't thinking about the Governor's public image!"

"Cy," A calm baritone voice suddenly interrupted. Olivia turned to see Fitz walk up behind Cyrus and put a gentle hand on his shoulder with a small, tired smile. "It's been a long day. It's been a long _campaign_. I think it's time to take a breath."

Cyrus opened his mouth instinctively, but then as he looked upon Fitz's face, he closed it with a sigh and gave an accepting nod. They fell into silence with the rest of the room as Liv watched Fitz's gaze slowly move from his campaign manager's to meet her own, his kind, dark eyes now clear blue. She felt a small, irrepressible smile rise up on her face as they shared a wordless look. His own lips flickered in a faint, sad smile, but then quickly faded away when the rush of a news theme suddenly swept in from the bank of televisions, breaking their connection as the voice of the presenter echoed through the office.

"_After counting 95% of the vote, we are now able to declare the winner in Ohio."_

The room leaned into the screens.

Fitz's brow furrowed, eyes fixed on the news.

But Olivia remained still, heartbeat racing through her ears, watching his face.

"_Whoever wins Ohio will also win its 18 electoral votes, which will push either nominee over the final 270 mark to win the Presidency outright."_

The air was deathly still.

Liv saw Fitz's hands clench tightly by his sides.

"_Again, after 95% of the vote being counted, BCN can claim victory in Ohio, in one of the smallest margins in history, to Republican Governor Grant."_

Fitz's eyes shot up in shock.

"_And thus we can call that Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III will be the next President of the United States."_

The room erupted in deafening cheer.

Fitz stood stunned, the air seemingly taken out of him, his eyes edged with a sudden redness as laughter and shouts of triumph filled up the large office to the brim. Mellie brought her hands up to her mouth in a practiced outburst of joy, while Cyrus punched the air in victory, before turning back to his boss to congratulate him.

Fitz stared at Cyrus's outstretched hand, but instead drew him into a warm hug, his eyes closed tight. Olivia watched as they broke their embrace, all her effort focused into stopping herself from rushing into his arms. She wanted to share with him this pure moment of joy but instead she held herself back, taking happiness from afar as his lips formed into a crooked grin of wonder.

Suddenly his bloodshot eyes flicked to hers. Their look of longing, elation, adoration and relief sucking the air from her lungs. As if drawn like a magnet, Fitz took two smooth steps towards her when he was quickly stopped by Mellie, draping her arms around him and kissing him neatly on the cheek.

Liv swallowed down the sting of disappointment as Cyrus appeared beside her and gave her a quick hug. Breaking away, she tried to turn back to Fitz when a wave of happy staffers rushed to her, inundating her with thanks and congratulations until the crowd finally thinned out, revealing Fitz, his dark blue eyes once again piercing through her.

Olivia's hand slipped to her jacket pocket and opened her mouth to say something when all of a sudden a staffer scurried up to Fitz, a phone aloft in his hand.

"Sir!" The staffer politely interrupted, trying to stifle down a smile while he muffled the receiver with his other hand. "I've got someone on the line for you_. It's Governor Reston_."

Fitz looked to the staffer, who gave him a nod of confirmation, then without a word, took the phone into his hand and moved through room, the exuberant campaign staff parting for him as he silently left the room.

She glanced to Cyrus who gave her a small smile and let out satisfied sigh when Mellie moved up to him, hands clasped together.

"So _now_ can we talk about song choice?" Mellie sung, a smirk rising to her face as Cyrus let out a relenting groan. Olivia just rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut as she slowly tried to back away through the crowd and move out of the room as inconspicuously as possible. With a few quick hugs and gracious handshakes she made it to the door, then with one last check to see that no one was watching her, she slipped out of the office and down the empty hallway.

Treading down the hall, the sounds of the boisterous staff slowly faded away behind her, replaced by the rising sound of her heartbeat. A low voice echoed from around the corner, causing her to slow her steps to a stop. She listened in silence as Fitz continued the broken conversation on the phone, courteously accepting his rival's concession.

After a minute, his voice stopped when she heard heavy footsteps slowly heading towards her. Olivia bit her lip in nervousness then quickly rounded the corner.

Fitz's brow shot up in surprise as she appeared in front of him, walking straight towards him with determination when she suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him with her into the nearest office.

Charging into the small room first, she left go of his hand and heard the door close behind her, when she finally turned around to see Fitz, standing alone, staring at her with a mix of joy and bemusement.

Her stomach fluttered as she looked at him, when she finally let out the beaming smile she had been holding back.

"Hi." She said, an unexpected giddiness rushing through her.

He let out a small sigh as a truly contented smile rose up on his lips. "Hi."

Her breath became shaky as the distance between them thrummed with electricity. "You won." She found herself saying, eyes shining.

"We won." He echoed simply, when his eyes darkened and then all of a sudden stepped towards her, swiftly closing the gap.

"Wait." Liv held up her hands to stop him, needing a clear head for just one minute more. "I need to tell you something."

Fitz pouted in confusion, but still took another step closer.

"Wait." She let out a small laugh when he continued unabated, seemingly well beyond any of her objections as his hands smoothed over her waist and her brought her close, breathing her in. She lay her small hands to his chest and opened her mouth to explain, when she looked up to his adoring eyes as they looked down to hers, causing her to finally relent.

Slowly, her hand slipped away from his chest and down into her jacket pocket. Retrieving the thin piece of plastic, she brought it down to Fitz's hand and enclosed it within his palm.

His brow crinkled in curiosity when he carefully brought his hand up between them, still holding her close with his other, and slowly unclenched his fist to see what Olivia had hidden.

There, lying in the middle of his wide palm, was a small sticker, still attached to its protective backing, its bold white words standing out from the blue and red background.

_I voted_

Fitz's eyes shot up to hers.

"You…" He tried to begin, his voice weak with emotion as he gazed at her, completely overcome.

"You have my vote, Fitz." She confessed quietly as she looked him straight in the eyes. She heard his breath hitch slightly in his throat when a proud smile rose up on Olivia's lips and she moved her hands to softly cup his stunned face. "You're the most… incredible man I've ever met. And I believe you will make a _great _President. So you have my vote. You've _always _had my vote."

Fitz stared at her in wonder when all of a sudden he burst into a wide grin and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up from the floor in a tight embrace. A giggle bubbled up inside her and escaped her lips as he spun her around, his strong chest vibrating through hers as he joined her in laughter. Her head felt light as the air filled with the intoxicating scent of him, when she felt him stop, his head moving back slightly as he captured her soft lips in his.

Olivia breathed him in as they remained there, time falling away from them, sinking into each other's arms, drawing life from other's lips.

One minute at the end of the storm.

One minute before the rise of another.

Fitz's wide hands slowly let her slip back to the ground then brought them up to her face as he deepened his kiss. She let out a soft moan in response, her fingers running through his curls on the back of his neck, then down his broad back. They drank each other in as they set a passionate rhythm, slowly stepping back as they tried to pull the closer, until Olivia was brought up against the office wall, letting out a small gasp as she felt his stiffness press against the inside of her thigh.

"Fitz…" She tried, voice breathy between kisses while his hands slipped under her sweater to bare skin.

"Fitz." She said more firmly, snaking her hands up to hold his face in place, his eyes now dark and heavy with desire. "We can't. Not now. We need to go."

His chest vibrated with a low groan of frustration. "Can't we just finish?" He grumbled, emphasising his point by pulling her hips closer against him and his hardening need.

"Not until you _finish_ your acceptance speech." Olivia's face lit up with a sly smile as she looked straight into his longing eyes.

"_Mr President Elect_."

* * *

**NB:**

**Yay! Speeches! And yay! Endings!**

**God this took me a while to finish. But I blame Tony Goldwyn and Kerry Washington entirely, for having such stupidly beautiful faces that I felt the need to gif them when I should be bloody writing about them! Grrr! Someone send those two some ski masks! Then, not only will they save us all from their distracting gorgeousness, they can also live a successful life of crime on the side!**

**Ok, got to talk about this chapter before I go off on an Olitz Bonnie-and-Clyde AU…**

**- So this chapter! Well, it was a chapter. And things happened. Huh. That was a good talk wasn't it?**

**Sorry, it seems my brain has run fresh out of all writing juices, so I'll just stop now while I'm ahead (or, to be honest, very far behind).**

**But what I do want to say is thank you very, **_**very**_**, much for reading, and hopefully enjoying. If you have any thoughts, if you liked it or you hated it or you don't even know how you got on to this damn page, please Review! I am a needy monkey who lives off reviews and bananas so if you drop a line I will love you forever. **

**Thanks for reading! And remember – Keep watching the stars! **

**(And by 'stars' I mean giant celestial balls of gas metaphorically used as your hopes and dreams, **_**not**_** two celebrities who appear on one of your favourite shows. And now I really am rambling. Will shut up. Sorry. Thanks for your time)**


End file.
